10 Five-Minute Activities with a 1-Year-Old (Zero Prep, Real Life)

Stuff three or four thin scarves or cloth napkins into an empty tissue box. Leave one corner sticking out. Then hand it over and watch them pull.

When the box is empty, show them how to push the scarves back in. Pulling out is the easy part. Putting back takes a lot more work for small hands.

Tip: Put the scarves away when play ends, since long fabric isn't safe to leave in the crib or play area.

Put a muffin tin on the floor and give your child a few soft balls that fit the cups. Drop one in. Say "in!" and wait.

Most one-year-olds want to tip it all out and start again, which is the whole game. Use balls bigger than the opening of a toilet paper roll, so they can't go in a mouth and get stuck.

Tip: Tennis balls fit most standard tins and are easy to grip.

Let your child watch you hide a favorite toy under a dish towel. Ask, "Where did it go?" Then wait a beat before you help.

This is an easy activity for a 1-year-old that you can play on the floor, in the high chair or on the changing mat. Once they find it every time, hide it under one of two cloths.

Tip: Use a toy that makes a sound so they get a clue.

Give them a basket and a few big blocks or wooden spoons. Show how to put one in. Then let them take it all out again, because that comes first.

The CDC notes that most babies put something in a container by 1 year. An object permanence box turns this into a game, since the ball drops in, disappears and rolls back out on the tray.

Tip: Start with one or two items, not ten.

Build a short tower of plastic cups and let your one-year-old knock it over. Build it again. Then hand them one cup to add on top.

Knocking down is more fun than building at this age, and that's fine. Soft silicone stacking cups also work in the bath, so you get two uses from one set.

Tip: Turn the cups upside down for a quieter tower that's easier to balance.

Sit on the kitchen floor with a pot, a lid and a wooden spoon. Bang it softly, then loudly. Pause and see if they copy you.

It's noisy, so save it for the morning. If you want a toy for the same urge to bang, a pound-and-roll tower gives them a hammer and balls that roll down a ramp.

Tip: A silicone spatula makes a softer sound if the noise gets to you.

Tape a sheet of clear contact paper to a wall or the back of a door, sticky side out. Hand your child big paper shapes or fabric squares to press on and pull off.

As an activity for a 1-year-old who cruises, it works best at standing height. Take it down after play, since loose paper ends up in mouths.

Tip: Painter's tape comes off the wall without marks.

Put a bowl with a little water on the high chair tray, plus two small cups. Show how to pour from one cup to the other. Then let them splash.

A towel under the chair saves the floor. Never leave a child alone with water, even a small bowl.

Tip: Add a few drops of food coloring to make the pouring easy to see.

Pile sofa cushions and pillows on the floor and let them crawl over the top. Put a toy on the far side as a goal.

Of all the five-minute activities here, this one helps most on rainy days when they need to move. Keep the pile low and soft, and stay within arm's reach while they climb.

Tip: A folded quilt makes a gentle first ramp.

Pick a board book with one big picture on each page. Point and name it: dog, ball, cup. Then ask, "Where's the dog?" and wait for them to point.

You don't need to read every word or finish the book. Five minutes of pointing is still story time, and it fits before nap or after a bath.

Tip: Lift-the-flap books add a small hide-and-find surprise.